On this day in 1935, the temperature was 102⁰ on the border of Arizona and Nevada as 10,000 people crowded around Hoover Dam to hear President Roosevelt’s dedication.
“This morning, I came, I saw, and I was conquered, as everyone would be who sees for the first time this great feat of mankind. …We know that, as an unregulated river, the Colorado added little of value to the region this dam serves. When in flood the river was a threatening torrent. In the dry months of the year, it shrank to a trickling stream…That is why I have the right once more to congratulate you who have built Boulder Dam and on behalf of the Nation to say to you, ‘Well done.’”
Hoover Dam is 726 feet high and 1,244 feet long and it has 17 turbines that provide electricity for more than 1.3 million homes. It also provides irrigation for two million acres of agricultural lands. 96 people died as a result of building the dam during its five-year construction.
1935 was also the year the Old Mr. Boston Bartender’s Guide was published following the recent repeal of prohibition.
Music Du Jour: 1935 Top Songs Playlist
Films Du Jour: Hoover Dam, Megastructures, a National Geographic Documentary.
Snacks Du Jour: For inspiration, here’s the menu for the Hoover Dam Cafe
Cocktail Du Jour – Gin Rickey
A popular drink in 1935 that you never hear anymore, and that’s also fun to say
⦁ 2 oz gin
⦁ Juice from ½ lime
⦁ Plain Seltzer or Tonic
Add lime juice and gin to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a Collins glass. Add seltzer/tonic on top.
Mocktail Du Jour – Gin Rickey Mocktail
⦁ 2 oz Monday Zero-Alcohol Gin
⦁ Juice from ½ lime
⦁ Plain Seltzer or Tonic
Add lime juice and Monday Zero-Alcohol gin to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a Collins glass. Add seltzer/tonic on top.
Beer Du Jour
Serve some chilled mead today in honor of Lake Mead, the giant reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam.
Wine Du Jour
Even though President Hoover was in office in the middle of the Prohibition years, he reportedly spent much time at the Belgian embassy drinking their wine, as embassies were considered foreign soil. Serve any Belgian wine, or Drinkworks Stella Cidre, which is a Belgian recipe.
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Photo credit: “The Hoover Dam” by wwarby is licensed under CC BY 2.0
